Endure This Weather
by Helena Willow
Summary: When Eric falls gravely ill, Godric -for the first time- feels helpless. Trapped in a snowstorm in the unforgiving north, and with Eric quickly fading away, will he find a way to save his child? AN: fluffy, slightly OOC-ish and featuring baby vampire Eric, and a very protective Godric. Rated M for mild slash. Sounds like your cup of tea? Give it a read!


_An: So, after lurking on this site for a moth or two (longer if you count the time without an account) I decided to post a story. For more info –meaning, a really long drabble- visit my profile. This one is just a fluffy, cutesy mess. Kinda OOC perhaps. But it was something I wrote to make myself a bit happy in the dreary weather that we have here in northern Europe at the moment. I'm not sure how long it'll be. We're up for some good ol' hurt/comfort, sickness… and perhaps a lemon in the end… Who knows? End of my rambling. And again, for more info, check out my profile. Have a happy read!_

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**Endure this weather**

Godric waited impatiently for his child to return as he paced the main room in the small cabin. He gazed out the window for what felt like the millionth time that night, not seeing much more than snow. The weather was gruesome, and the wind was slowly escalating to be a full-blown blizzard. It was at times like these he was grateful they were living in a house, and didn't have to depend on digging a hole to rest in. Godric had thought of leaving Eric's homelands before the winter came, but the young vampire was still very attached to the north.

The snow whirled around Eric as he rushed through the frosty winter forest. He laughed to himself, taking a long leap to fly through the air and land in a deep pile of snow. It whirled back down, landing in soft, white flakes over him. He settled comfortably on his back, looking up at the dark sky and the trees' branches bowing under the weight of the snow. It reminded him of his winters when he was still a human child, although then, the cold months had been far too dangerous to enjoy. This was his first winter as a vampire, and he wanted to make the most of it, and had therefore spent most of his time outside, enjoying the fact that he could play for hours in the snow without getting cold. Godric was with him most of the time, watching him with warm affection. He joined him from time to time, chasing or wrestling him in the snow, winning in both things of course. Although Eric didn't mind. He was happy just to have his maker near him. But tonight, Godric was busy hunting. "You go play," he'd said and kissed his forehead softly. "Just make sure to be back well before dawn."

So Eric had gotten the night to himself, deciding to use the time to investigate the northern part of the woods.

A sudden thud made him jump into standing position, his eyes scanning the area for what had made the sound. It turned out to be just snow falling from one of the trees, but he still decided that it was time to head back to the house. Eric still didn't like being away from his maker for too long and as the storm had now grown to a full blown blizzard, he felt just how much he longed to be curled up in Godric's arms under the warm furs in their bed. He began making his way through the darkness, struggling against the strong wind that sent icy flakes whipping into his face.

After a while, he began to feel tired. He could no longer run, but had to move at slow, human pace. His limbs started to become stiff from the unforgiving cold, and he suddenly felt very small and helpless against the gruesome weather.

Suddenly, a blinding pain shot through his leg, making him crumble to the ground screaming in agony. It was so intense his vision darkened and his mind blurred with thick fog. He screamed again, begging for the pain to end, but was given no such mercy.

Slowly, the pain subsided to a dull throbbing as his body went numb. Letting out a sob in relief, he tried to sit up. The tearing feeling came back with full force and he cried out again, screwing his eyes shut. Knives of white hot pain shot through his leg and he gasped for unneeded breaths as he tried to get through it. When the worst was over, he made a new attempt to sit up, succeeding in propping himself on his elbows. He began to carefully dig his way down to his leg, hands trembling and fingers stiff from cold. His hands met with a metal surface and he jerked back as it burned him. _Silver_. Dreading what he might find, he grabbed his knee and pulled it up from the bloodied snow. A large metal contraption that resembled a fox trap had closed around his leg, the blades had sunken deep into his calf and it seemed to cut straight to the bone. The flesh sizzled horribly as the silver dug into it. _Who makes fox traps in silver? _

Struggling not to panic as he began grasping just how grave the situation really was, he made a new attempt to bend the blades apart, but couldn't even hold on for a second without the pain forcing his hands away. Luckily, the adrenaline kept him from feeling the pain in his leg, but it was quickly wearing off. "Calm down Eric," he told himself as his head began to pound dully, "think rationally." He needed to cover his hands with something... It didn't feel very tempting to take his shirt off, though thin it at least offered some protection against the weather. Well, he had no other option. His body protested wildly as he peeled his drenched shirt off, exposing more sensitive skin to the merciless cold. The silver had effectively weakened him.

He covered his hands with the wet fabric and took new hold of the trap. Using all his strength, he tugged at the blades, closing his eyes as waves of pain rolled over him. It wouldn't budge. He tried again. The blades opened an inch. One more time. Another inch. If he pulled hard enough, he should bee able to force his leg out... He tried, but the moment he eased his grip on the trap it snapped shut again. Eric fell back in the snow, crying in agony. He curled himself around his injured leg, clutching his knee in an attempt to find some kind of anchor in the fog of pain. This was it. He was going to die now. He was too weak, too cold to get the trap open. His only chance was if Godric came looking for him and found him before it was too late.

"Godric!" he called for his maker, his voice breaking pitifully. "Godric, help me!" There were no sounds except the roaring of the wind.

"Please Godric... Help..." And then his voice gave up. Eric was left sobbing on the ground as snow began to cover him, wishing more than anything to be back in Godric's arms.

Little did he know, that just a few miles away, Godric had left his place by the cabin window and was now virtually flying over the snow-covered ground. In his mind, he was scolding himself for leaving Eric alone, knowing that if anything happened to him, he would never forgive himself. Eric called for him again, a desperate, broken sob that made his heart clench painfully. He ran faster. He was close now, but Eric had gone frightfully quiet.

"Eric!" Silence. Godric halted his steps and looked around, feeling that he should be able to see his child. The snow created a wall almost impossible to see through, but after scanning the darkness for a moment, his eyes fell on a small figure almost covered in snow.

Godric rushed to his child's side, kneeling in the deep snow. Eric was more or less buried, the only thing visible being his face. His skin had taken on the same color as the snow, and icy flakes hung from his long eyelashes and in his hair. Godric quickly began shoving the snow away, finding that Eric's leg was trapped in a large metal contraption. It had almost torn the leg off, and he shuddered just from looking at it. Eric's shirt lay next to him and he covered his hands with it before forcing the silver jaws apart. The trap snapped open and he coaxed the young vampire's leg out and threw the instrument away. Eric stayed motionless and Godric placed a hand on his cheek, wincing at how cold he felt. Frozen trails of blood streaked his face. _His poor child had been crying_. As he gathered him up into his lap, Eric's eyelids fluttered open and he blinked slowly, looking up at his maker. He seemed to have trouble focusing, but soon recognized Godric and let out a relieved whimper. He wrapped his arms around his neck, clinging desperately to him.

"I never want to be away from you again," he sobbed brokenly into the fabric of his shirt.

"Shh," Godric hushed him, cradling him in his arms. "It's okay. I'm here now." Eric was shaking, and not just from the sobs. He wasn't sure he'd ever felt something so cold as his child's skin… and the nasty wounds encircling his leg wouldn't heal any time soon unless he fed him. But first he needed to get him inside.

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Half an hour later, Eric was lying tucked in under a mountain of furs and blankets in the only bed the small cottage had to offer. Godric was currently occupied with lighting a fire in the fireplace, the only other furniture in the room except for a chair and a small table. He checked on Eric every once in a while, each time being rewarded with a little smile. The baby vampire was still trembling, but Godric had wrapped him in a cocoon of blankets and he was slowly beginning to warm up. When he'd gotten the fire going, Godric moved to sit on the edge of the bed, smoothing back Eric's hair and smiling tenderly.

"Do you feel better now?"

"Mm," Eric mumbled. "I'm just tired." Godric nodded in response.

"Would you like me to feed you again?" he asked softly as he kept stroking his hair.

Eric shook his head weakly. "No. I just want you to hold me so I can go to sleep." The older vampire smiled, leaning down to place a light kiss on his forehead.

"I'm just going to make the room sun proof. I'll join you in a minute." He stood up and began attending to the safety issue. The cottage's two windows both had shutters, but those wouldn't be enough. He closed them however, and took a few blankets to further keep the sunlight out. Although he guessed there wouldn't be much of that. The storm seemed to keep its hold, and the snow still whirled down outside. He moved to stand in front of the fire, peeling off his wet shirt and pants before hanging them over the chair. Then he went to crawl down next to Eric in his cocoon of blankets in the bed. Eric instantly curled up against him, nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck and sighing contently. Godric wrapped the furs closer around them, hoping that he was just imagining the chill that still seemed to cling to Eric's skin. The young vampire trembled feebly in his arms.

"You are still cold," he stated in a hushed whisperer, caressing his naked back. "How's your leg?"

"It's better," Eric said in a faint mumble. "And I'll be less… cold if I just… sleep for awhile…" he trailed off.

"You do that," Godric mumbled back, trying to convince himself it would be as easy as that. "I'm sure you'll feel better tomorrow." Eric nodded and closed his eyes, settling comfortably against his chest. Godric ran his fingers through his hair, eliciting a content purr from the blonde vampire. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the knot of worry that had formed in his stomach. _Everything is fine, _he tried to tell himself. _Eric is safe and healing. There's nothing to worry about... _Nevertheless , he lay awake for a long time, listening to the wind whistling outside and feeling how Eric drifted off in his arms. _  
_

He cracked an eye open, glancing down at his sleeping child. And when seeing that Eric looked as peaceful and angelic as he always did when resting, Godric could finally relax and fall asleep himself.

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_AN: And, we're off. Let's see where this goes…_

_I would love to hear your thoughts! So do leave a review if you feel like it_

_'till next time/ Helena _


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